Effect of homogenization-pressure-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis on the structural and physicochemical properties of lotus-seed starch nanoparticles.

In previous studies, we successfully prepared lotus-seed starch nanoparticles (LS-SNPs) using enzymatic methods. To further improve their performance, we studied the structural, physical and chemical properties of LS-SNPs prepared by high-pressure homogenization (HPH)-assisted enzymatic hydrolysis (EH). HPH treatments at different pressures and frequencies have a significant effect on the particle size and molecular weight of LS-SNPs. Structural analyses showed that LS-SNP and H-LS-SNP both comprised B-type starch crystals. As the homogenization pressure and frequency were increased, the relative crystallinity of H-LS-SNP first increased and then decreased, indicating that HPH treatment affected the double-helix structure of LS-SNPs. The results also show that moderate HPH treatment was beneficial for enzymatic hydrolysis, but when the HPH treatment was further increased, it destroyed the ordered structure of LS-SNPs. Our research showed that H-LS-SNPs with the smallest particle size and the highest crystallinity were obtained under pressure of 150 MPa, a homogenization frequency of five times the original, and a material-to-liquid ratio of 3%. The results indicate that HHP-assisted EH is a suitable method for preparing SNPs. These findings provide new ideas for the preparation of SNPS to meet the needs of food industry. Unlabelled Image • The highest crystallinity of lotus seed starch nanoparticles (LS-SNPs) is 77.22%. • The method to prepare LS-SNPs was environmentally and high-efficiency. • The relationship between high-pressure homogenization (HPH) and mechanism of LS-SNPs was explored. • The optimal HPH conditions for preparation of LS-SNPs were selected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]